PHILADELPHIA—For years now, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren has been a staple of Netroots Nation, an annual gathering of progressive political activists. Her earliest visits talked up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the financial product regulator Warren successfully lobbied to include in the 2010 financial
Rising like a monolith above the plains of urban renewal in north downtown Springfield, The Republican stands watch. At one time, David Starr sat atop it all, the representative of the Newhouse publishing empire here in the Valley. But from his office at 1860 Main
On Friday, Mayor Domenic Sarno likely killed efforts to find a compromise in the police oversight debate in Springfield. After introducing an ordinance that would effectively reverse the Council’s efforts to revive the Police Commission—and encountering resistance—the mayor indicated he would act to change the
SPRINGFIELD—It could be easy to overstate the stakes of the City Council’s impending decision on a new City Clerk. Aside from opening another front in the simmering battle over separation of power in city government, the decision’s consequences are hard to fully parse. But both
SPRINGFIELD—A proposed effort to bolster voter turnout here, if not cure its anemic state, cleared the City Council Monday night. The victory was short-lived. Mayor Domenic Sarno quickly vetoed the measure, offering a garbled explanation. However, it would not be his nonsensical valley this week.
Springfield City Clerk Anthony Wilson will depart later this summer after the Cambridge City Council selected him to be that city’s next top record-keeping official. Cambridge councilors voted Monday to select Wilson. His departure was formally announced Thursday in a release from City Council President
UPDATED 7:49PM: To include comment from the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. United States Representative Richard Neal received another key nod last week when Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped him to lead House Democrats’ trade working group. On its face, the appointment was not surprising. The committee Neal chairs,
UPDATED 6/13/19 1:55PM: To include comments on the plastic bag ban from Mayor Reichelt. Following its larger, liked-named neighbor across the river, West Springfield has banned single-use plastic bags at retailers. The measure passed through the Town Council last week. As with Springfield’s measure, it
SPRINGFIELD—Past, present and future orbited around two major items at the City Council’s Monday meeting. The body passed first step on an ordinance to step up election education notifications. It also reallocated $1.5 million from bonds to finance upgrades to Symphony Hall, nee the Municipal
UPDATED 9:37PM: On Tuesday night, the Holyoke City Council voted to advance the two-school debt exclusion question to voters on November 5. HOLYOKE—Not quite two weeks ago, supporters of a debt exclusion ballot question rallied on the High Street lawn outside City Hall here. Buffeting
